Memorandum submitted by the Local Government
Association (CIT 01)
The Local Government Association represents
local authorities in England and Wales, promoting the interests
of around 500 authorities which represent around 50 million people
and spend around £74 billion a year on local services.
The Government acknowledges that local authorities
have specific potential to help deliver the step-change in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions that national policies require. Recognising
this, the LGA has a dedicated programme of work on sustainable
energy and climate change, in partnership with the Energy Saving
Trust. The LGA also supports local authorities in joining up their
environmental work through its "greening communities"
campaign.
SUMMARY OF
KEY POINTS
1. Individual actions on climate change
take place within the national, regional and local context influenced
not only by formal policies such as the fiscal and legislative
regime affecting consumer choices but also by our prevailing culture
and ethos.
2. Local Authorities (LAs) have a pivotal
role in action on climate change. Councils can plan, deliver,
co-ordinate and enable the changes necessary to bring about a
step-change in results and are a key linking organisation for
many individual actions.
3. The LA role is wider than just cutting
emissions from authorities' own estate and services—councils
can have real impact on community/individual actions. There are
three main strands for wider community work:
— providing routes for communication;
— providing routes for individuals
to take action and joining together individual actions across
a community; and
— structuring local communties to enable
sustainable choices to be made more easily.
4. There are many exemplary councils exhibiting
a vast range of good practice. Many more have made an initial
political top level commitment—140 councils have now signed
a Declaration on climate change such as the Nottingham Declaration—but
councils want to do more.
5. To do this Local Authorities need the
right back-up from central policies:
— a performance framework outcome that
allows an appropriate focus on climate change;
— the duty to secure an area's environmental
well-being;
— the details of the implementation
of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act duty carefully
framed to enable local responses to government reports;
— long term, stable resources, including
in-house officer resources; and
— data access to enable effective targetting
of scarce council resources (eg home energy efficiency certificate
information).
6. At any level of government, climate change
action will only be really effective if it reinforces, and is
reinforced by, society's broader aims and aspirations. The cross-cutting
nature of climate change and the urgency of the need for action
means we need co-ordinated interventions to achieve a step-change
from all sections of society not just a reliance on individuals'
ability to react meaningfully. Local authorities have been leading
the way on climate change and will continue to be an increasingly
important part of the picture.
INTRODUCTION
7. Defining our individual impacts on climate
change is complex. Individuals have a multiplicity of roles and
routes through which they interact with the environment. Any one
individual's actions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
could therefore take place in a variety of arenas, whether in
the workplace, the market place, the transport system, the home
or wider community.
8. Action to mitigate climate change will
be prompted by a range of different drivers, all underpinned by
the individual's broader take on their own role in society and
how they see their own impacts on the local and global environment.
9. With around 25% of UK greenhouse gas
emissions attributable to the transport end user, and 27% related
to the domestic sector, a large proportion of our national emissions
are under the direct influence of our choices and actions as individuals.
However, there is a range of factors that will constrain or promote
such action, including availability of information and ease of
routes to take action, as well as perceptions of support for and
belief in the efficacy of individual actions.
10. Structural factors such as legislative,
regulatory and fiscal regimes provide the framework within which
individuals exercise choices but cultural and societal factors
are equally important.
11. There has been a concerted effort over
recent years to stress the cumulative impact of individual actions
in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. However, supporting individuals
in taking this action is essential—not only in awareness
raising, but in promoting and helping to sustain behaviour change
including structuring our communities to make it as easy as possible
for individuals to make sustainable choices. Local authorities
have a pivotal role in this.
THE ROLE
OF LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
Closer to People and Places
12. Local authorities can plan, co-ordinate,
enable and deliver the changes needed for sustainable energy in
a way no other organisation can match. Local government is uniquely
where responsibility to promote the well-being of an area now
and for the future, delivery of key services, influence over how
people live and work, enforcement powers, practical know-how and
democratic legitimacy all come together.
13. The Government's "Climate Change:
the UK programme 2006" report acknowledged that action by
LAs "is likely to be critical to the achievement" of
national climate change objectives since they are "uniquely
placed to provide vision and leadership to local communities,
raise awareness and help change behaviours". In addition
it recognised that council powers and responsibilities on specific
service delivery (eg planning, housing, local transport) and on
delivering the social,economic and environmental well-being can
provide a powerful role in influencing emissions of greenhouse
gases in their areas.
An average county council produces at least 30,000
tonnes of CO2 per annum from its corporate activities and its
community generates some 10 million tonnes.
An average district council emits around 3,000
tonnes corporately and its local community emits around 300,000
tonnes.
14. The Government report recognises that
some local authorities are already taking "exemplary action
on climate change". There are examples across the country
of councils making a real impact on emissions, not only in their
own activities such as operating council buildings and service
delivery, but also in their work in their communities. The LGA
publication "Leading the Way" sets out how councils
can take action, with case studies. http://www.lga.gov.uk/Publication.asp?lSection=0&id=-A78309C9
Example
Shropshire County Council have reduced CO2 emissions
from corporate buildings by 57%—from 29,650 tonnes CO2 per
annum in 1990 to 12,694 tonnes CO2 per annum in 2005.
Example
Staffordshire County Council reduced its CO2
emissions from most properties by around 44%—a reduction
of 60,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2005 over 1990 levels.
Example
Middlesbrough launched its Climate Change Community
Action Plan in November 2004 with a five year action plan including
community agreed targets to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 12.5%
between 2000-10 (nearly 11,000 tonnes of CO2 each year).
15. Around 140 councils in England and Wales
have signed up to a climate change declaration, such as the Nottingham
Declaration, committing their authority to take action on mitigating
the effects of and adapting to climate change. The LGA is one
of several partner organisations which has developed an online
action pack to provide a free resource for councils to help them
develop strategies and action plans for action in three main areas
(a) the council's own buildings and fleet, (b) its service delivery
and (c) the community it serves. There is a target for 200 councils
to sign up to a declaration by the end of 2006.
16. A key aspect of local authority work
is enabling citizens to make their maximum impact on emissions
reductions. While council action is important for improving emissions
from their service delivery and their own estate (ie council buildings
such as civic offices, leisure centres, schools, council owned
housing, community facilities and council transport) there is
also an invaluable role for local authorities in affecting the
greenhouse gas emissions of individuals in their area.
Example
Uttlesford District Council, which signed the
Nottingham Declaration in February 2006, with Local Agenda 21
has developed and launched the "Sustainable Homes Network"
to help householders find out more about renewable energy and
environmental improvements for their homes.
17. The local authority role can be seen
as three part—(a) communicating climate change messages,
(b) providing a trusted route for taking action and joining together
individual actions across a community and (c) putting in place
structures and mechanisms for making individual choices to reduce
emissions easier.
(a) Communicating and raising awareness
of climate change
18. A large number of councils have well
developed communications and advice work programmes including
partnership work with Energy Efficiency Advice Centres and other
agencies. Joining up with local energy agencies provides additional
impetus for campaigns and synergies are frequently made with other
council campaigns, linked to services such as housing, planning,
education.
Example
Shropshire County Council supports the independent
charitable company Marches Energy Agency which leads a range of
community climate change projects including BC2AD (Bishops Castle2
Active Decarbonisation) scheme, Women's Institute for Sustainable
Energy and Congregations for a Low Carbon Future; each working
with a geographical community or community of interest to reduce
carbon emissions.
19. A number of local authorities are involved
with projects successful in bidding for funds under Defra's Climate
Challenge Fund aimed at communicating messages to communities
and individuals on climate change.
Example
The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Local Authorities'
Energy Partnership formed 10 years ago by all 19 councils in these
two counties received funding for a project to raise awareness
amongst the general public, targetting residents, local authority
staff, schools and community groups. The communications programme
will use a mix of media, including local radio, LA newspapers
and websites and a touring campaign vehicle.
(b) Providing a route, community focus
and support network for individuals' action
20. Research indicates that in the UK there
is a high awareness (around 90%) and relatively little disagreement
about the basic facts of climate change but that awareness of
its urgency and scale is much lower at no more than 15%. Recognition
of urgency and scale is a defining feature of "champions"
who engage more directly with the climate change agenda. LAs can
play a key role in helping them to take effective action but,
as David and Susan Ballard in their reports for Hampshire County
Council note, higher "awareness of the systemic structure"
is needed. (*note 1)
21. The Ballard report also argues that
"a key barrier to awareness is that people believe that climate
change is so huge an issue that there is nothing meaningful that
they can do about it". Councils can help by providing meaningful
channels or "agency" for individuals to take effective
action. Councils can also help by providing "association"
so that people can work with others as there is strong evidence
that change efforts are more effective, and last longer, where
people work together.
Example
Hampshire County Council is leading in the Interreg
European ESPACE project. The council is working to provide a corporate
climate action plan to prioritise its own activities as well as
linking more effectively with residents to take action themselves.
The development of actions is based on innovative behaviour change
principles and will include schools projects.
22. Local authorities, through their established
links with wide sections of the community can provide a vital
link to engage with local residents in areas that people care
about—schools, leisure facilities, local industry, and other
key areas of people's lives. Councils can also tailor actions
to local circumstances and dovetail with other projects and agendas
(such as alleviation of fuel poverty, regeneration, transport
planning). Schools in particular have potential for behaviour
change work through their direct activities in educating children
but also in disseminating information to the community and as
a base for community action, being of the right size and place
in the community potentially to have a significant effect on the
wider cultural assumptions of the community.
Example
Oxfordshire County Council has a programme run
by contractors to provide energy education in around 55 LEA schools,
seeking to reduce the use of energy in schools. As well as monitoring
consumption and setting targets to reduce usage, the pupil led
programme engages all members of the school and others in the
surrounding community.
23. Local authorities can also provide trusted
routes for external partners to access individuals, fo example
energy suppliers have extensive links with councils in delivering
their Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) programmes. It is vital
that suppliers' work under EEC is additional to local authority
work and that councils are integrated into schemes where possible,
to build on the synergies available to councils. There is also
a need for predictability in supplier spend to avoid a damaging
stop/start approach.
24. To maximise the synergies in local communities
it is vital that all aspects of society, not just local,regional
and central government work together, but also the voluntary sector,
community groups and businesses. Local Public Service Agreements
and Local Area Agreements (LAA) have potential to pool activity,
including budgets, around common aims to achieve outcomes that
cut across sectors. Climate change is a key area for LAA work
with a large potential still to be tapped.
Example
Shropshire County Council is developing a low
carbon communities LPSA aimed at achieving carbon reductions in
3,000 households as well as businesses and other organisations
across three communities. It includes a target of 5.88% carbon
reduction over three years with formulation of a strategy for
a 60% reduction by 2050.
(c) Structuring local communities and
providing mechanisms for facilitating individual choices to reduce
emissions
25. Local government has the power to shape
local communities and make it easier for individuals to make sustainable
choices. A council's planning, regeneration and transport roles
can all impact effectively on climate change by structuring communities
so that it is easier to make low carbon choices. The LGA set out
an illustrative vision for "Anytown 2025" as part of
its Leading the Way document. This illustrates how policies and
actions at a local level can enable us to live well in 20 years
time with significantly less use of environmentally damaging energy
and with much reduced vulnerability to climate change.
http://www.lga.gov.uk/Publication.asp?lSection=0&id=-A78309C9
26. For example land use policies can be
introduced that encourage balanced communities where employment,
education and other amenities are closer to where people live;
local sustainable food policies can help match gardeners with
potential gardening space or promote markets for local produce;
council backed energy service companies can make greener energy
purchasing a more favourable option for domestic customers.
PLANNING
27. The planning system can be a powerful
driver for new developments, with for example planning driving
higher standards of sustainable building and promoting renewables
and microgeneration.
Example
The London Borough of Enfield has a sustainable
building project aimed at using the planning process to ensure
that the principles of environmental sustainability are incorporated
in the design and construction process at every stage.
Example
The London Borough of Merton requires all new
industrial, warehousing, office and live/work units outside conservation
areas and above a certain size to incorporate renewable energy
production equipment to produce at least 10% of predicted energy
requirements.
28. The LGA with partners has published
a report on Planning Policies for Sustainable Building. This recommends
a set of model policies which the Partners believe all authorities
could adopt. These set ambitious but achievable standards on carbon,
water, materials, waste, recycling, biodiversity etc.
TRANSPORT
29. Surface transport is responsible for
over a quarter of UK CO2 emissions and at local level this is
an important area for action by individuals which can be heavily
influenced by structural issues. Reducing carbon emissions from
transport can best be achieved by using both technological and
behavioural approaches. Improved provision of alternatives to
private car use as well as promotion of low carbon fuels for surface
transport needs to take place in the context of communities designed
to minimise the need for transport.
30. Successful LAs have incorporated transport
policies within wider carbon or energy strategies—taking
advantages of linkages both within council service delivery and
working with partners to deliver reductions in emissions. Behavioural
changes can be encouraged by:
— promotion of public transport;
— walking and cycling promotion;
— travel plans for employees;
— sustainable land use planning policies
(eg use of section 106 agreements);
— promotion of biofuels (eg biodiesel).
Example
In Shropshire the Marches Energy Agency in partnership
with the county council has set up a network of 5% biodiesel filling
stations and supported the introduction of the first 100% biodiesel
for sale to the public from a garage forecourt in Bishop's Castle
as part of its aims of reducing the community's carbon emissions.
31. Price signals have a key role to play.
Motoring costs in UK have remained constant in real terms since
1974 and have therefore halved in relation to incomes, while public
transport costs have risen almost as fast as incomes. Untaxed
aviation and no frills airlines have made flying cheaper than
ever before. These price relationships are a result of political
decisions about taxes and subsidies for different transport modes.
Example
In the first year of its operation the Central
London Congestion Charge delivered a 30% reduction in congestion
within the charging zone alongside a 19% reduction in traffic-related
CO2 emissions
VALUING CARBON
32. The Government is considering extending
the UK emissions trading scheme to cover some councils. Kirklees
council is currently participating in the voluntary UK scheme
and supports the role of council carbon trading at council and
community level. There is evidence that schemes can change individuals'
views on carbon emissions and it is a logical extension of the
"polluter pays" principle. With only limited LA experience
of emissions trading schemes there would be significant need for
council training. Extension to a personal carbon trading scheme/personal
carbon allowances is worthy of detailed consideration but there
needs to be a staged process for debate to bring along public
support for such a scheme.
Example
Kirklees council signed up to the UK emissions
trading scheme and legally binding targets for council emissions,
aimed at reductions of 1000 tonnes CO2 equivalent over five years.
THE ROLE
OF NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT
What does local government need to support its
work on climate change?
33. There is ongoing review of the future
form and functions of local government. The LGA has set out its
contribution to the debate on how to meet the challenges of today
and tomorrow, including climate change, in its "Closer to
People and Places" report published in May 2006. (http://www.lga.gov.uk/Publication.asp?lSection=0&id=-A783A761)
(a) National outcomes : local action
34. The LGA argues for agreement between
national and local government on 30 national outcomes which local
government will take responsibility to deliver. This would allow
an appropriate focus on climate change. In addition it argues
for the current well-being power to be replaced with a "duty"
to secure the social, economic and environmental well-being of
an area, coupled with the powers and levers to give effect to
this.
35. As the Government's climate change programme
2006 report recognises, some councils are already taking "exemplary
action on climate change" but government wants to incentivise
more authorities to "reach the level of the best". To
this end government "will consider how to ensure that the
local government performance framework will include an appropriate
focus of action on climate change". This outcomes focus is
welcome and LGA are working with government departments to develop
proposals in detail. As a starting point we need clarity on methodologies
for assessing emissions baselines, agreement on what councils'
sphere of influence/control actually is and on what programmes
have the best impact on carbon emissions.
(b) National duty : local implementation
36. The Government's report also focuses
on the duty set out in the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy
Act— "government will publish a report on ways in which
local authorities can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and alleviate
fuel poverty ... local authorities will have to have regard to
this report in carrying out their functions." The LGA supported
this duty as a means of providing a stronger driver for council
action, while enabling local flexibility on delivery. Taken in
the context of a local focus for a national outcome on climate
change this could be a powerful framework to incentivise council
action however the details of reports need to be carefully framed
to reap the benefits of applying local solutions. Additionally
the wider duty which LGA is arguing for on securing the environmental
well-being of an area would allow further joined up action across
environmental issues.
(c) Resources
37. Councils currently access resources
for climate change work in a variety of ways, but local authorities
consistently raise the lack of a long term funding system and
the stop start nature of project based funding as a barrier. Pots
of money provided by government schemes are welcome but there
is no certainty over continued long term funding and councils
can find it hard to access funds provided by a variety of bodies.
This is a particular barrier for smaller authorities and those
not yet particularly active on climate change. In-house officer
resources are needed to join up council work.
38. It will be important, as the Government
states, to review existing requirements on and guidance to LAs
(with a realignment of existing resources away from process towards
outcomes—carbon savings), delivered in a way most appropriate
for a local area—so that focus on climate change in the
performance framework does not represent a new unfunded burden
and there is greater flexibility to deliver on national priorities
in the most effective way for that locality.
(d) Data
39. The provision of energy efficiency information
by home owners selling/renting their properties will be a useful
factor in influencing individual purchasing and renting decisions.
It would be doubly effective if the data to be compiled in these
reports were accessible, with appropriate safeguards, to local
councils to enable them to target scarce resources more accurately
on the least energy efficient households. Current government policy
is to exclude local authorities from access to the relevant Register
but it is hoped that this position can be kept under review.
THE ROLE
OF SOCIETY
40. Action by any level of government, whether
national, regional or local will only be as effective as the wider
societal framework within which it is set. Societal norms and
cultural issues will have a strong effect on individual actions.
Local councils' work on climate change will be enhanced greatly
by sustained awareness raising and by policy initiatives to help
shape public perceptions, as well as increased use of market mechanisms
and improved regulatory standards (eg for domestic appliances).
Refocusing individual agendas around the needs of local communities
and wider society will help to achieve the levels of changes needed
more effectively.
41. At any level of government, climate
change action will only be really effective if it reinforces,
and is reinforced by, society's broader aims and aspirations.
The cross-cutting nature of climate change and the urgency of
the need for action means we need co-ordinated interventions to
achieve a step-change from all sections of society not just a
reliance on individuals' ability to react meaningfully. Local
authorities have been leading the way on climate change and will
continue to be an increasingly important part of the picture.
— *note 1—Extracts from "How
can local authorities stimulate and support behavioural change
in response to climate change" (David and Susan Ballard,
Alexander Ballard Associates, report for Hampshire County Council
July 2005).
Local Government Association
August 2006
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